Our Six Cherished Blockbuster Game Rental Memories
Ah, Blockbuster... a name that brings back so many fond memories of Friday night game rentals, late fees (oops!), and discovering hidden gems in a sea of video game titles. We recently reminisced on some of our favorite Blockbuster rentals as kids, and let’s just say, some of these memories hit hard—just like those frustrating moments when you’d realize someone had already rented the game you wanted!
Here’s a look at our top video game rental experiences from those golden days of Blockbuster and small-town video stores:
1) Street Fighter II on a Rented Super Nintendo
We’ll kick things off with a classic. Imagine this: small-town living with no Blockbuster, but the local video store had you covered. Back in the day, before consoles took over households, you could actually rent them. Yes, kids—rent. A. Console.
Maulding remembers his mom bringing home a rented Super Nintendo and Street Fighter II. The excitement was real, the stakes were high, and the weekend was spent glued to the screen pulling off epic combos and shouting "Hadouken!" to the high heavens. Sure, the console had to go back on Monday, but the memories of those 48 hours of button-mashing bliss still live on. Also,
Bonus Tip: Guile is pronounced “Guy El” not “Goolie.”
2) Ballz
Next up on the nostalgia train: a little-known SNES fighting game called Ballz. Let’s get one thing straight—it’s exactly what it sounds like. This game was a 1994 masterpiece where every character was made of... well, balls. Not much else to explain here, except that the controls were hard (no pun intended), the balls were flying, and it was one of those games that made you question what you were even playing... yet you couldn’t stop. It had this weird charm, and for some reason, Lord rented it a LOT.
Bonus Tip: Treat your Ballz well and play every day.
3) Hunter: The Reckoning
Anyone remember Hunter: The Reckoning? No? Just Dan? Well, let him enlighten you. This was one of the best couch co-op games on the original Xbox that let you and three friends fight off zombies while leveling up. Nothing says “Saturday night” like a pizza, soda, and taking down waves of the undead with your friends by your side.
And what’s the deal with us constantly renting games we could have bought after the 10th rental? Guess we were just suckers for that weekly Blockbuster run. But hey, Hunter: The Reckoning will always be a legendary pick for us, even if we were terrible at it.
4) EarthBound
Here’s a tale of unexpected greatness. One fateful day, EarthBound made its way into Maulding’s life. At first, it was a total mystery, a game rented by accident thanks to a kind-hearted video store clerk. But little did he know that EarthBound would become a cherished childhood memory—a quirky, charming RPG that quickly won hearts. Riding around town on a bike and battling aliens? Sign us up. Sometimes the games you don’t expect end up becoming your favorites. And thank you, small-town video store lady, for changing a life forever.
5) Siphon Filter
The name’s Logan... Gabe Logan. Okay, so Siphon Filter might not have had that exact vibe, but it was close enough to 007 for us to feel like total badasses. This PS1 classic had us sneaking around in the shadows, battling enemies in a thrilling third-person shooter. It’s the type of game that made you feel like a secret agent, even if you weren’t that great at it. Plus, the cover art? Pure espionage coolness.
6) Mario Party – The OG Friend Destroyer
Finally, we’ve got the game that single-handedly caused more friendships to end than any other: Mario Party. For those who didn’t have it on N64, renting Mario Party for a sleepover seemed like a great idea—until the mini-games started and the gloves came off. Whether it was racing to grab stars or sabotaging your so-called friends, Mario Party was (and still is) the ultimate test of your real-life relationships.
These days, we’re still rolling dice and plotting revenge in Mario Party, and honestly? It never gets old. We’ve got pizza, drinks, and enough competitiveness to power a thousand more game nights.
Blockbuster (or your local video rental store) may be gone, but the memories of these games—and the countless others we rented—live on. Whether it was Street Fighter II on a rented Super Nintendo or the unexpected joy of EarthBound, those experiences shaped us into the gamers we are today.
Got any favorite rental memories of your own? Let us know—we’ll be here reminiscing about the days of physical game rentals and fighting over who gets the last slice of pizza.